City classification criteria to be revised soon, report says

The Chinese government will revise the current classification criteria of cities soon, allowing large counties to be upgraded to cities, financial information provider Aastocks.com reported Monday, citing people with knowledge of the matter. While the current population threshold for an area to be classified as city will be lowered, authorities will set other strict criteria for counties that seek upgrade, a source was quoted as saying. Meanwhile, the population-based city size classification standards will be adjusted to meet the present social situation, the report said.

New Zealand will ban military-style semi-automatic and assault rifles under tough new gun laws, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Thursday, following the mass shootings last week in two Christchurch mosques that killed 50 people....

China’s Huawei Technologies is making it very difficult for European carriers to drop the company from its supply chain for next-generation 5G wireless service, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said on Wednesday. “If you have...

East Africa is markedly different now from ten years ago if we look at how widespread “grass-munching” has become. “Grass-munching” refers to the consumption of khat or Catha edulis, or the derogatory term “East African...

Citigroup plans to sell several tons of gold placed as collateral by Venezuela’s central bank on a US$1.6 billion loan after the deadline for repurchasing them expired this month, Reuters reports, citing sources. The...

The National People’s Congress, China’s parliament, last week passed a new Foreign Investment Law (FIL). Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday that the new law “will better protect the legitimate rights and interests of...

US President Donald Trump warned on Wednesday that Washington may leave tariffs on Chinese goods for a “substantial period” to ensure that Beijing complies with any trade agreement, Reuters reports. Trump said his top...

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin plan to travel to China next week for another round of trade talks with Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, Reuters reports, citing an unidentified...

The entire world was shocked by the mass shootings at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, last Friday that killed 50 and left dozens injured. As Jacinda Ardern, the country’s prime minister, put it,...